


you ran off with it all

by hotmesslewis



Series: Lewis and Clark - Space Explorers [2]
Category: Lewis and Clark
Genre: Also The First Time I Ever Wrote A Touch Of F/F, Also This Is Cloyingly Sweet, Alternate Universe - Space, But I Ain't Gonna Tag Them Because No One Cares But Me, Crack, M/M, There's A Bunch Of Other Characters Too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 05:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12204375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotmesslewis/pseuds/hotmesslewis
Summary: Lewis and Clark, Space Explorers AU.  An exploration of equality in the captains' relationship.  Again, also, basically gay Star Trek.





	you ran off with it all

**Author's Note:**

> I forgot how sickeningly sweet this one was until I was rereading it to edit it omg.

"Captain Lewis, sir."

"Yes, Fields, what is it?"

"Report on the life forms of the planet, sir?"

Meriwether Lewis looked up form the utility belt he was fiddling with around his waist, it slipping down in his inattention, coming to rest at a jaunty angle across his hips, instead. Not that he particularly needed to fit a little box of breath mints in one of the pockets, but new planets always got him giddy. He straightened and palmed the breath mints into his co-captain's hand. At his shoulder, Will Clark popped one of the mints into his mouth and chewed noisily. "Of course, Fields, go ahead, whenever you like."

_Life forms. Planets._

It never got old.

"O-kay. Well, it all looks pretty standard, really, sir, carbon-based, a range of sizes, some quite small, some more human, uh, sized, some a bit bigger. There are known human outposts on this planet so. You know." Ruben Fields shrugged at Lewis and spun around to face his monitor again.

Lewis grinned like a wolf and glanced back over his shoulder at Clark, who he'd expected to share is amusement. Clark's lips tightened grimly at him, and Lewis sobered. "Very good, Fields. Fields, report on the environment?"

"Atmosphere make-up seventy-o--"

"And spare us all the technical detail you so love, Joe, just tell us what to expect out there."

Ruben's brother Jo Fields sighed deeply and dumbed down his report. "Air should be breathable if a bit thin, so I'd suggest avoiding running if at all possible. Or doing anything that requires a lot of oxygen, like talking too much." Fields resisted the urge of look pointedly at Captain Lewis, instead glancing at his brother, who replied by pressing his tongue into his cheek. "Climate seems a bit cooler than most Earth-classed planets, so I'd wear a sweater; vegetation in abundance."

Cold and thin-aired—Lewis felt heady already. Excellent well.

"Excellent, Fields. Okay!" He clapped his hands together in anticipation. "Landing party! Gibson, Drewyer, Ordway, and, um, oh, Ordway, bring along your girlfriend, too, that should round us out nicely!" He knew it sounded more like he was organizing a picnic on Pluto rather than an expedition onto a hitherto unnamed planet but, well. Picnics were tedious in the extreme, anyway, doubly so on that cold little rock; at least this offered the possibility of getting chased by something dangerous with long fangs or sharp appendages of some sort. "Prepare and be ready for departure in twenty minutes."

"I want to go."

The bridge of the starship Discovery went silent, as though even the heart of the computer had stilled.

Lewis turned to his co-captain and tried to hold his spirits. "Will. You know that you can't. At least one of the captains needs must be on the ship at all times. Surely you understand why you can't—"

"Yes, fine, I understand that all very well, but I do not understand why I cannot go."

Lewis's brow furrowed as he tried to follow Clark's train of thought—

"In your place," Clark clarified.

"Ah."

Lewis sat heavily in the captain's chair at the heart of the room. Clark moved behind him and touched his hands to Lewis's shoulders, unwelcome, and Lewis felt himself tensing.

"You never let me go on to new worlds." If Lewis had said it, it would have sounded petulant and childish; from Clark it was an observation, reasonable. "Least ways, not until you've made them your own. It's always you going places and having your adventures and doing things while I sit patiently in command of the ship and waiting for your stories."

How could he begin to explain? "Maybe we ought not talk about this here?"

"Why not?" Clark glanced around at their curious crew, pretending to not watch them, save young Shannon Georges who had just stumbled onto the bridge with knapsack half-unpacked and gaped at the captains.

"Shouldn't we discuss this in our quarters . . ."

"I don't see why the crew shouldn't be witness to a conversation between captains."

But it wasn't that, to Lewis—it felt private, an argument between husbands. He looked around, then, and spoke lowly. "I wasn't aware that it bothered you, Will."

Clark's hands had been softly massaging Lewis's tensions, but now they stilled. "You didn't realize that it bothered me?"

Lewis pulled away, now, leaning forward in his chair. "I always thought you wanted to be captain of a ship, and I thought I was giving that to you, I didn't realize—"

Clark spun the captain's chair around and pushed Lewis back into his seat and kneeled by him, so that they were at eye level. He took both of Lewis's hands in his own, watching his thumbs caressing the cuts and veins in the man's abused hands as he thought to speak. When he looked up he saw Lewis watching him. "Do you remember how you proposed to me?"

"Of course," Lewis answered quickly; he was right, this should have been happening in their cabin, not out here in front of everyone, but Clark wanted the audience or the support.

"'Run away with me,' you said. 'Come on, Will, they're giving me a ship and a crew and the order to get lost, but I want someone to get lost with and I'd like it to be you. And I'll get you made a captain, because I want you to come with me as my equal, and we'll never have to go back, and if you'll marry me, I can promise you the greatest adventures in the universe.'"

"I didn't--" Lewis faltered. "I didn't realize you married me based on my promise of adventures."

"I didn't," Clark softened. "I married you because I loved you, but, oh, did I want to have adventures with you. I still want to.

“But you won't let me."

"It's not that, it's—"

"Screw the regulations."

"Will, trust me, it's not that at all. When have I given a damn about—"

"Then what is it?" Clark rocked back onto his heels. "Your freedom? Your license for discovery must be solitary and absolute?"

"For God’s sake, listen!" Lewis pulled his hands away. "This expedition can't lose you, Will! You're the one the men respond to, you're their commander, you're the one who keeps the records! I'm useless to this; if they lose me, it's fine."

“Meriwether, it would hardly be ‘fine’ if you were to—”

“Damn it, Will, _I_ can’t lose you!” Lewis ran his hands through the graying tips of his hair in agitation, then pulled at them to make them lay flat out of habit. “I guess that’s really all it boils down to in the end, me, being selfish, of course, as always. But, see, it’s one of those things that you just know—I know, if something happened to me, you could carry on, but I also know if something happened to you, I never could.”

Clark looked down for a moment with a small smile. “Do you honestly think, Meriwether, that I could go on without you that easily?”

The candid question surprised the answer out of him. “Yes, I do. I mean, it’s true, isn’t it?”

Clark stood, brushing off the knees of his fine white uniform pants and spoke more to himself than to Lewis or the crew. “Married for nearly three years now and somehow you still don’t know me at all.” He held out his hand and helped Lewis to his feet and grinned and tried to hide the sadness. “Stupid man.”

Clark addressed the crew, now. “See, Meriwether, this is where you screwed up in making me co-captain of this ship. Were I just your first officer, as the war office and all other reasonable creatures thought I should have been, my hands would be tied—metaphorically, that is. But since you insisted our rank be equal, well, then.” The redhead smiled, devilishly. “As captains, we disagree on as issue: which of us should lead the exploration party on shore. Given the nature of the disagreement, I propose that it is only fair to submit the issue to the crew, for a vote, democratically, which should solve our iss—”

“Fine,” Lewis grumbled.

“Hmm?”

“I said, fine.” Lewis crossed his arms and scowled. “Take your damn party to shore. See if I care if you get hurt or horribly maimed or killed or—”

He was silenced by Clark kissing him, deeply, and he could not help but smile into the kiss.

“All right!” Clark said a few moments later, sprightly, “let’s see. Landing party! Gibson and Drewyer will still be good, but Shannon, I’m going to have to ask you to stay, and you too, Jane. Um, instead—Janey, you come along, and go get your husband and bring him along, too, I suppose. And now, one more member, security detail, because it would be tragic and unforgiveable if anything possibly happened to me . . .”   He glanced over a list of the crew on the main screen, before turning to Lewis. “Meriwether, what to you say? You think you’re up for a good old-fashioned guard patrol?”

“Are you serious, Will?”

“Well, yeah. I can’t think of anyone better equipped and definitely none more willing to protect me, than you.”


End file.
